CSI: American Carnage (Saturday, December 1, 2018)
Don Jr. knocks on the door. A butler ushers him into an anteroom. The house is silent as a grave. After a moment, the butler knocks softly at a door. Something is said from within and the butler motions for Don Jr. to enter. In the room are several men. One, behind a desk, says, You have come to my home, Don Jr., and I welcome you, even though your father and I have business disagreements, and our families have not viewed each other favorably. Don Jr. says, I have come to pay my respects, John Ellis, despite the unpleasantness that has passed between our two families. I know my father would want me to be here on this day, the day of your troubles. The men around the room nod their heads. They silently look at John Ellis, also known as Jeb. Don. Jr. stands before him. John Ellis says, They have told me that you are not a serious man. They have told me that you are not respected. But I allow you into my home on this most solemn occasion because this is not business, this is not television, this is not politics. This is the essence of life, one of those moments when a human being distinguishes himself from the beasts of the field and the beasts of the jungle. Don Jr. says, These are serious words from a serious man. I have come not to grunt and growl, not rip meat to shreds and spill blood on the unraked forest floor, but to offer my condolences and the condolences of my family to your family. John Ellis rises from his chair. He says, You have great honor and courage to come here under these circumstances, honor and courage that my family did not suspect you had. I am impressed. Don Jr. says, Thank you, John Ellis, my family has many resources which you may not suspect. We are willing to offer you an accommodation. John Ellis raises an eyebrow. He says, An accommodation? What can your family offer at this time? My father has died. But your father, your father still lives, still walks, still accumulates wealth, and still breathes deceit. But we are willing to put all that aside for the moment. Don Jr. says, We appreciate your generosity, John Ellis, and would like to put a proposition before you. John Ellis says, Speak. Don Jr. looks around at the other men in the room. He says, You are surrounded by substantial men, men of honor, men who command respect. My father wishes to be invited to your father’s funeral, a funeral of a peer, of which, he says, there are few, if any. John Ellis is quiet a moment. He puts the tips of his fingers together and says, Your father, as I said, breathes deceit. He is a nihilist. Chernyshevsky and Bakunin are his forebears. They are Russians. He worships at the altar of gold. He slobbers on and makes a mockery of respect. He has insulted my father, my brother, and myself at every opportunity. He has brought the shadow of the valley of death into the center of our lives. He has wreaked havoc across our lands, laying waste to crops, destroying factories, and work places. He has repeatedly commanded attention, like mammon and other false, non-Episcopalian gods. Don Jr. says, What you say, John Ellis, is true. But he is our father and our dear leader. We ask that you consider our offer. In return, we will provide West Texas and the Florida Panhandle. Perhaps Orange County, if you so desire. John Ellis says, We will take the offer under advisement and view this approach as an honorable one, taken by a man of means. Our families shall maintain a truce until this matter is resolved.
— Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018